Cage
by BelowExpectation
Summary: He will never see the way he treats me is a crime. *Domestic abuse warning - not extremely graphic, but it's there* I am a kurtofsky fan, this just popped in my head and wouldn't go away.


Taking a deep breath, Kurt pushed open the diner door, hearing the bell placed over it ring as he walked in. He plastered on a smile when Rachel, his best friend and coworker, looked over. "Hey Kurt! What are you doing here? I thought you had the day off," she asked happily.

"Santana asked me to cover her shift today. I wouldn't have, normally, but I really need the money right now," he answered.

Moving behind the counter, Kurt pulled off his dark sunglasses and quickly bent down to grab a waist apron and tied it on. Rachel gave him a smile, which faded when she noticed that Kurt was avoiding her eyes, choosing instead to keep his head down and study the floor. The sad and worried look on his face made her nervous. "Kurt?" She asked, slowly reaching out to touch his arm.

She pulled back quickly when he flinched. He'd been doing it more and more lately. "Sorry. I'm fine. Just zoned out," he replied with a quiet chuckle and a glance in her direction.

The quick look gave her more than enough time to see the barely there purple around his right eye. Rachel gasped and reached out to touch her friend before once again pulling her arm back. Kurt knew she had noticed his eye as soon as he looked at her. He knew better than to make eye contact with Rachel, she always seemed to notice when something wasn't right. He also knew that she would question it and turn it into a much bigger deal than it really was.

With another deep breath, he faced his friend and looked her in the eye. "Rachel, this is nothing. Please don't make anything out of this. Just drop it," he told her, a hint of begging in his tone.

"Kurt, what happened?" She paused for moment before lowering her voice and asking, "Was it Dave?"

"It wasn't Dave, ok? I fell out of bed last night and hit my nightstand," Kurt said quickly, panic now creeping into his voice.

Rachel didn't look convinced, the worry she felt was getting stronger. "Kurt, please don't do this. You don't need to lie to me. Please," she begged.

The boy closed his eyes, weighing his options. Telling her the truth would probably make things much worse if she ever said anything to anyone else, but all the lying was making him exhausted and he desperately wanted someone to talk to about his home life. After a few long moments, he made his decision and opened his eyes. "Rachel, he didn't mean to. It really was an accident. He's already apologized and made it up to me. We're fine now," he told her.

He watched as her eyes widened and surprise covered her face. "What do you mean it was an accident?"

Kurt sighed deeply and looked around the diner to check for anyone who might overhear. Luckily, there weren't many people in the restaurant, just an older man sitting at a corner table, reading. He turned back to Rachel and told her, "Dave has been working in construction for a while now, you know that, but it rained yesterday and that means he couldn't work. He hates not being able to work, so he went home and by noon he was wasted. I got off work an hour late and didn't make it home in time to make dinner at the usually time and when I finally did get around to making it, I got distracted with something and burned it pretty bad. He just got angry and with how drunk he was, it wasn't really his fault. He was disoriented and he accidentally hit me instead of the wall. It's no big deal; he apologized a lot this morning and helped me with ice packs and the cover up. Like I said, we're fine now."

Rachel looked at her friend in a bit of shock. Kurt was too smart to believe that Dave was aiming for a wall and missed, she knew that. She watched silently as the man gave her a quick smile and moved past her, going to check on the one customer they had at the moment. She was still standing there when he came back. "Thank you for not overreacting and for listening, Rachel. I really appreciate it," he said.

Unsure of what to do with this new information, she simply nodded and gave him a small, strained smile. They would definitely be talking about this later; she wasn't going to let it go so easily. Kurt deserved much better than that Neanderthal he lived with.

* * *

Three days later, another rainy day hit Lima. Kurt knew this wouldn't be a good night for him. Two days in the same week of not working and sitting around the house would surely make Dave crazy. Seeing that his shift was over in a few minutes, Kurt untied his apron and reached under the counter for his jacket. He just put it on when he heard his name being called and looked to his left to see Santana coming toward him.

"Yes, Santana?"

"I need you to cover me for about two hours. Britt needs me to take her and Lord Tubbington to the vet, apparently his cough is getting worse and she's freaking out," she said, untying her apron and tossing it on the counter.

"Thanks, Hummel!" She called over her shoulder as she walked around the counter and out of the diner.

"Of course I'll cover for you Santana, no problem," Kurt mumbled to himself, angrily pulling his jacket off and putting it back under the counter along with the apron the girl left.

Grabbing his cell phone, he looked around the diner, making sure all of the customers were taken care of, before he ducked down and dialed his home number. It rang a few times before being picked up by the answering machine. "Hi, Dave. I got stuck with an extra couple of hours at work, so I'll be home late. Let me know if you want me to bring home some food. Love you," he hung up the phone and stood.

He spent the rest of his time at the diner taking care of the customers and laughing with Rachel.

* * *

"Dave?"

The sound of cabinets slamming closed in the kitchen told Kurt where he should look for his boyfriend. He slowly walked into the kitchen to see Dave standing in front of the open fridge and staring inside. "Dave? What are you doing?" Kurt asked.

The other man slammed the fridge door shut and turning around. It was immediately obvious that he was, once again, drunk. "Look who decided to come home," Dave said angrily.

"I told you I was going to be late. I left a message on the answering machine," Kurt told him.

"What's his name, Kurt? Who're you sleeping with now? I know you're not at work, fucking liar."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Come on Dave, you know I'm not cheating on you. Calm down," he said, trying to stay calm. The words hurt, but he could deal with those, right now he just needed to get Dave to settle down.

As hard as Kurt tried to keep him calm, the bigger man had no intentions of stopping. As the man got louder, shouting every insult he could imagine at his boyfriend, he seemed to get more upset. The yelling soon turned into the plates sitting on the drying rack by the sink being thrown across the room. Kurt pressed himself against the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room and slid down it. He pulled his knees to his chest and tried to stay quiet, if Dave heard him crying it would probably just make things worse.

After a couple of minutes passed when nothing hit the wall, Kurt looked up and around the corner to see into the kitchen. He let out a yelp when a plate crashed into the wall next to his face and he quickly moved back to his side of the wall. He didn't notice the cuts on his face until he put his head in his hands and felt the blood. 'I'm not going to be able to cover these up anytime soon.' He thought sadly.

He could hear Dave moving around the kitchen, loudly muttering to himself and occasionally punching one of the walls or a cabinet. A knock on the door caused both of the men to freeze and stare in the door's direction. "Police, please open your door."

'One of the neighbors must have heard the noise and called 911,' Kurt thought, feeling relief wash over him. Dave seemed to sober up instantly. He ran his fingers through his hair to tame it and plastered a smile on his face before opening the door. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"We received a call from one of you neighbors about the noise. They said it sounded like a pretty bad fight going on. Is there a problem here, sir?" The policeman asked.

"No sir. It was just a little fight. Nothing too bad, right Kurt?" Dave answered, looking over his shoulder at Kurt.

Kurt took in another deep breath and came to stand behind Dave, keeping his cut cheek out of sight while making eye contact with the policeman. "Right," he answered. "We're fine here Officer. Thank you for stopping by."

With a warning to try and keep it down, the officer bid them a good night and left. As soon as the door was shut, Dave pushed Kurt away from him and stomped up the stairs to their bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Kurt sighed and went to the hall closet to grab a blanket.

He sank down onto the couch and finally let the tears he had been holding back, fall. Like so many other nights, he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

After Dave left for work the next morning, Kurt called Rachel. After a few worried questions from her and some vague answers from Kurt, the girl agreed to come over. Looking around the home, the boy decided to leave it as it was. He was tired of cleaning up the messes and trying to pretend that everything was fine.

When Rachel arrived, Kurt quickly let her in. "Oh my god, what happened in here?" She asked when she saw the broken dishes and empty beer cans all over the kitchen and living room floor.

"Dave got drunk again. He started yelling and throwing things. I can't do this anymore Rachel, it's been too long. I should have ended it a long time ago," Kurt answered.

Rachel finally looked away from the mess and looked at her friend carefully. He had dark circles under his eyes and dried tear track on his face. She led him to the couch and sat him down before going into the kitchen and grabbing the first aid kit. "What are you planning on doing now, Kurt? You're always welcome to stay with me if you'd like, you know that," she asked, cleaning the cuts on his cheek and putting a large Band-Aid over them.

Kurt sighed and put his head in his hands. "I've saved up some money. I can't stay with you Rachel, as much as I would love to, he'll look for me there. I have to run. I have enough to get to New York now; I'll finally be getting out of Lima. He's not going to let me go easily, he's too power hungry for that, so I need a gun."

Rachel gasped. "You're not planning on killing him, are you? Can't you just go to the police?"

"Of course I'm not going to kill him! He doesn't need to know that it's not my intention though. It'll be for my protection, just in case I need it. I was so scared last night, Rachel. He could have done so much worse, I'm not even sure why he didn't, but I plan to be prepared from now on. As for the police, they can't help me. If all I can get is a restraining order, I'm sure Dave would have no problem breaking it just to get me back for it," Kurt told her.

He stood and started pacing in front of her. "I need to go now," he continued. "I'm not sure how long it takes to get a gun permit, but I know it will take more than a day. What am I supposed to do?"

The two were silent for a while, both thinking of ways to get Kurt what he wanted. "Santana!" Rachel exclaimed suddenly. "She's bound to have something for you. With all those threats of razor blades that she keeps in her hair and how she tells everyone who crosses her that she'll cut them. If not a gun, she'll probably have something else you can use."

Kurt grinned at the girl and pulled her into a hug. "You're a genius, Rachel!" He said happily.

"So I've been told," the girl said smugly.

Kurt raced upstairs and quickly made himself presentable and soon the pair were walking out the door, discussing Kurt's soon to be new life in New York.

* * *

As it turns out, Santana didn't have a gun, but she did have a rather large pocket knife that she let him borrow. After hearing Kurt's story of why he needed the weapon, the Latina quickly went on one of her famous Spanish rants and offered to get his stuff and/or to cut the man herself.

It took longer than he thought it should, but eventually Kurt convinced Santana that it was something he needed to do on his own and that he would be fine. He and Rachel left the other girl's apartment and headed back to Kurt's home. The two packed as much of Kurt's stuff as they could into one of his suitcases and left it on the bed. They made plans for Kurt to call her as soon as he was on his way out and after promising to call her if anything went wrong, Rachel left for her own home and Kurt was alone again.

* * *

About 15 minutes before Dave was expected to arrive home, Kurt returned to his bedroom and sat on the bed. His stomach was churning and he felt a little sick. He tried to breathe deeply to calm the nervousness but it didn't work much, so he simply sat on the bed with his head in his hands and waited.

"Kurt?" His head snapped up when he heard his name being called and the churning in his stomach that had slightly eased came back in full force. He stood and touched the right pocket of his jeans to remind himself that he had something to protect himself with now.

"In here," he called out.

He heard Dave's footsteps coming up the stairs and tried to remain calm as the door opened and his tormentor stood in the doorway. He saw Dave's eyes dart between him and the suitcase behind him on the bed. "What do you think you're doing with that, Kurt?" Dave asked, coming further into the room.

"I've tried, Dave. I really have. I've lied to my friends and my family about my bruises and cuts and I can't do it anymore. Not an ounce of the love I used to feel for you has survived. I have to go, I can't stay here with you anymore," Kurt told him.

Grabbing the suitcase handle, he lifted it and made to walk out the door. "I don't think so, Kurt. You're not leaving!" Dave shouted.

Kurt felt a hand grab his suitcase handle and pull it back. In a moment, Kurt dropped the suitcase and pulled the knife from his pocket. Flipping it open, he aimed it at Dave. The other man quickly dropped the handle and held up his hands. Kurt scowled and grabbed his suitcase with his other hand. "I am leaving Dave. I don't want to hurt, though I know that you deserve it, but I will if I have to. Don't follow me, don't try to track me down, and stay away from my family and friends," he growled.

Backing out the door and down the stairs, Kurt kept his eyes on his former boyfriend for as long as he could. He backed out of the house entirely and didn't turn around until he was outside. The man ran to his SUV, threw his bag onto the passenger seat, jumped in, pulled out of the driveway, and sped off as fast as he could. He smiled and let out a short relieved laugh. He pulled out his phone to call Rachel and drove as fast as he could to the airport.

He had a new life to start.

* * *

A/N: Wow it's been a loooong time since I've posted anything. To everyone waiting for an update on The Community, it might be a bit longer until anything happens with it. Since it's an adaptation, it's hard to type it up without my copy and I no longer have access to my copy. I'm trying to find a replacement, but it's a slow process when your broke and can't afford to replace things like that.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. While it only took me a few hours, I tried to make everything flow and seem at least a little realistic. Let me know what you think. It's based on the song "A Man's Home Is His Castle" by Faith Hill


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